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If you started playing MMOs at the beginning of the genre, you may be saddled with a prejudice against pet classes. In early Ultima Online, an Animal Tamer's pets, usually dragons, had a way of getting their master into notoriety trouble. In EverQuest, if ever a pull went awry, blame was placed on the Necromancers and Magicians, deserved or not -- obviously, those classes just had poor pet control. Even City of Heroes' Masterminds, implemented only in 2005, have a bad reputation for reckless behavior (not to mention for blocking party members' movement).

Pet AI has come a very long way over the last decade and a half, though, and pet classes continue to be popular, perhaps because they allow players to micromanage a group without actually having to be in one. And some games, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, have made all classes pet classes by virtue of companions. Are you a fan of pet classes, and if so, what's your favorite implementation across the genre?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

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aianimal-tamerbeastlordbiowarebrianna-royce-tdgcity-of-heroesCity-of-VillainsclassclassescohcovcoxeaElectronic-ArtseqEQ2EQIIeverquestEverQuest-2everquest-iimagicianmastermindncsoftnecromanceropinionparagon-studiospetpet-aipet-classpet-classespetssoeSony-Online-Entertainmentstar-wars-the-old-republicswtortdgthe-daily-grindthe-old-republictorultima-onlineuoMon, 02 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500319|20132423http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/31/the-tattered-notebook-an-insiders-guide-to-the-beastlord/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Beastlords have only been in game for a few weeks, but already quite a few EverQuest II fans have rolled one up to and taken it for a test drive. There are several new facets to the class that are refreshingly new to the usual EQII adventure classes, and it's little surprise that they've become arguably the most popular class around lately.

I tracked down a good friend and guildie, Nauralea, who has already reached the level cap with her Beastlord and has also finished her class epic and done a little raiding. If you're curious about how the class works or whether it's still fun to play at the higher levels, read on for a great look at the nuts and bolts of the class and even some helpful tips for leveling up one of your own!

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beastlordbeastlord-guideclassclasseseq2EQIIEverQuest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfeaturedfre-to-playfree-to-tryinterviewinterviewskaren-bryannauraleasoeSony-Online-Entertainmenttattered-notebookSat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 -0500319|20137684http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/10/the-tattered-notebook-discovery-arrives/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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The Age of Discovery has arrived, along with the Freeport Reborn game update and the free-to-play transition. On top of that, Frostfell is also upon us, with even more new rewards, tradeskill books, and quests. That's a pretty hefty amount of change to EverQuest II, and it's brought back many former players (as well as new ones).

In this week's Tattered Notebook, let's take a look at the first week of launch. I rolled up a Beastlord along with the rest of Norrath, so I'd like to give some first impressions on the new class, take a look at the dungeon maker, and share some overall thoughts on the past week.

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age-of-discoverybeastlorddungeon-makereqeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieverquesteverquest+iieverquest-2everquest-iieverquestiif2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playkaren-bryanopinionsoesony-online-entertainmenttattered-notebookthe-tattered-notebookSat, 10 Dec 2011 16:00:00 -0500319|20124550http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/soe-releases-eqii-age-of-discovery-expansion-freeport-revamp-f/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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There are big days, and there are big days, and today is definitely the latter when it comes to EverQuest II. First of all, as producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson says in his newly minted producer's letter, "today we stop requiring any sort of payment."

Yes, free-to-play is here (again, and across the board this time). That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Today also marks the introduction of the much-ballyhooed Freeport revamp along with the rest of Game Update 62, and oh yeah, did we forget to mention the Age of Discovery expansion?

If so, the short version of AoD includes the dungeon-maker tool, mercenaries, the Beastlord class, and a ton of customization and collectible updates sure to make your stay in Norrath even more enjoyable. We could tell you about 20 additional alternate advancement points, a new launchpad and website, new social networking integration, and more, but then you'd have no reason to check out the official forums for yourself. Check out the official AoD trailer after the break.

Sony Online Entertainment is getting the EverQuest II:Age of Discovery hype train up to full speed today with a new dev tour of the upcoming content. Emily Taylor, the game's Executive Producer, takes viewers through the new features that players can expect from the upcoming expansion. To start things off, she gives players a look at the new Beastlord class, which can tame creatures to utilize as Warders in order to alter its playstyle.

We then get a look at the new and improved city of Freeport, which has been completely revamped. The city's four zones have been consolidated into one single zone, the visuals have been updated, and new questlines and content has been added. Finally, the tour stops off at the Seafarer's Roost Inn, where the new mercenaries can be hired -- for the right price, of course. So for the full video, click on past the cut and take a look.

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age-of-discoveryaodbeastlorddev-touremily-tayloreq-iieq2everquest-2everquest-iif2pfree-to-playfreeportmercenariesmercenarysoesony-online-entertainmentvideovideoswardersMon, 05 Dec 2011 16:00:00 -0500319|20121109http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/everquest-ii-invites-you-backstage-with-a-pair-of-age-of-discove/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Ignore the man behind the curtain! Bow before the great and powerful Smokejumper! Oh... what? It's OK if they see behind the curtain? Come on in, folks -- SOE's totally fine with you seeing what's going on backstage during the development of EverQuest II'sAge of Discovery and has a couple videos to prove it.

The first video is narrated by EQII Lead Game Designer Akil Hooper, who takes us on a lightning tour of the new Beastlords and their animal Warders. Hooper shows off the new additions to the UI that make viewing, customizing, and switching between the Warders possible.

Flipping over to Age of Discovery's mercenaries feature, Game Designer Carlos Mora demonstrates how the system works. Players can hire one of 10 mercenary NPCs to form a temporary party, and Mercenaries have both a hiring fee and a salary that is withdrawn from your account every 30 minutes. Mora says that a couple of the mercs are more difficult to find -- and more unique -- but are worth the search.

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age-of-discoveryakil-hooperbeastlordbeastlordsbehind-the-scenescarlos-moradev-diaryeqiieverquest-iiexpansionmercenariesmercenarymercssoesony-online-entertainmentwardenwardensSat, 03 Dec 2011 20:00:00 -0500319|20120169http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/03/the-tattered-notebook-whats-free-and-whats-not/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Tuesday, December 6th is going to be a very busy day for the EverQuest II team. The devs are launching an expansion, patching a game update, and performing the transition to make all servers free-to-play, simultaneously. And just as the dust settles from all of that, Frostfell is due to begin shortly after.

With the stream of news announcements over the past month, there's bound to be confusion over what's free and what you'll need to pay for. Even veteran players have had questions about the game update versus the expansion, so in this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll give a rundown of what's what and even add in some handy links for more details.

When the Age of Discovery expansion debuts next month, pet-loving players will have a lot to look forward to, according to lead designer Akil "Lyndro" Hooper. "One of our goals for Beastlords is to experiment with some new play styles. Beastlords have warders that they can tame, who work in combination with the Beastlord to create a new style of combat tactics. Beastlords have fewer buttons to press, and a more active and reactive playstyle than our other classes," Hooper explained in a new Q&A released yesterday.

Head to the official EQII website for more of the discussion including the differences between warders and more specifics on combat.

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akil-hooperbeastlordclasseseq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfree-to-playlyndrosoeSony-Online-EntertainmentThu, 10 Nov 2011 14:30:00 -0500319|20103488http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/the-tattered-notebook-beastlord-prep-101/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/the-tattered-notebook-beastlord-prep-101/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/the-tattered-notebook-beastlord-prep-101/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsEverQuest II's most recent update brought two new additions: the dungeon finder and the prelude event for the new Beastlord class that will arrive with the release of Age of Discovery. I was going to look at the dungeon finder this week, but it's had its share of problems, and with the team still working on tweaks to make it more useful, I figured I'd table it until some of the changes get patched.

That means this week's Tattered Notebook is focused on the Beastlord. Closed beta is beginning, and while it's hard to believe, the expansion is due to launch in late November. There's no doubt that many of us will be rolling up Beastlords, so this is a perfect time to start making preparations in advance of launch day. Read on for a look at some tips to make your first few days as a Beastlord fun and enjoyable.

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age-of-discoverybeastlordbeastlordsclassclasseseq-2eq-iieverquestEverQuest-2everquest-2-extendedeverquest-iieverquest-ii-extendedfeaturedkaren-bryantattered-notebookSat, 22 Oct 2011 14:00:00 -0400319|20087359http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/17/soe-opens-beta-registration-for-eqii-age-of-discovery-expansion/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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The Age of Discovery is coming to Norrath, and Sony Online Entertainment has just released the beta registration info for EverQuest II's eighth expansion.

SOE's press blurb says that applications will be reviewed beginning on October 27th, with the expansion closed beta period beginning on November 14th. While Age of Discovery will not feature any new overland areas, dungeon-based content, or zones, it does boast the long-awaited debut of the Beastlord class as well as the Dungeon Maker player content system. Mercenaries, tradeskill apprentices, and item reforging round out the new stuff, and SOE expects to release the content toward the end of November.

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age-of-discoverybeastlordbetabeta-registrationdesign-a-dungeondungeon-creatordungeon-makereq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iiexpansionf2pfantasyfree-to-playmercenariesplayer-contentplayer-generated-contentsoeSony-Online-EntertainmentMon, 17 Oct 2011 23:00:00 -0400319|20083838http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/eqii-patch-features-beastlord-prelude-quest/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/eqii-patch-features-beastlord-prelude-quest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/eqii-patch-features-beastlord-prelude-quest/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsSony Online Entertainment pushed a small update to EverQuest II's live servers today. While that's not particularly newsworthy in and of itself, it bears mentioning because the patch brought a hint of the oft-requested Beastlord class to the newest version of Norrath.
EQ2Wire has the details, and also assuages our fears a bit about the necessity of completing the quest prior to the class's official introduction in next months Age of Discovery expansion. As it turns out, today's quest is the second in a series, and it's entirely optional. The quest line provides interested players with some background lore on where the Beastlords have been and why they're now returning to Norrath.

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age-of-discoverybeast-lordbeastlordclassclassesexpansionf2pfantasyfree-to-playlorenorrathpet-classpetsquestssoeSony-Online-EntertainmentTue, 11 Oct 2011 17:00:00 -0400319|20078893http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/the-tattered-notebook-exec-producer-dave-georgeson-on-everques/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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If there's one thing that came out of Fan Faire about EQ Next, it's that no one will talk about EQ Next. No matter who you talked to, any time the subject came up, the answer was always, "I can't talk about that." However, Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson sat down with Massively during Fan Faire to talk more about EverQuest II, and during that interview, he did give a tiny glimpse into what that game would be like.

In this week's Tattered Notebook, Massively gets the scoop on Beastlords, the dungeon builder, Freeport's revamp, and much more.

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akil-hooperaltsbeastlordbeastlordscitadelcrushbonedave-georgesondesign-your-own-dungeondungeon-builderdungeon-finderemily-tayloreqeq-nexteq2eqiieverquesteverquest-2EverQuest-iieverquest-nextfan-fairefan-faire-2011freeportgame-of-thronesitemizationnasa-moon-shotorcpetpet-classplanetside-2ps2revamprich-waterstattered-notebookveliouswarderwarlockMon, 18 Jul 2011 15:00:00 -0400319|19993132http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/13/the-tattered-notebook-leapers-gliders-and-beastlords-oh-my/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/13/the-tattered-notebook-leapers-gliders-and-beastlords-oh-my/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/13/the-tattered-notebook-leapers-gliders-and-beastlords-oh-my/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsE3 has come and gone, but EverQuest II fans are left with more questions than answers. Children of War has just launched, and already, players are wondering what's coming down the road. We do know about some of the more immediate changes, such as the rebuilding of the Dragon Ring and Spires live event, new mounts, and the Freeport Revamp. But there were some hints at much bigger changes down the road -- and few details on how exactly it would change the game.

In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll break out the crystal ball and speculate on whether EQIIis growing closer to EQ2X and whether we might in fact see the arrival of Beastlords in game.

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adventure-packbeastlordclassesdave-georgesoneq2eq2xEQIIeverquest-2everquest-2-extendedeverquest-iieverquest-ii-extendedexpansionsfandomfeaturedflightflying-labfree-to-playleapingmountssmokejumpertattered-notebookMon, 13 Jun 2011 19:00:00 -0400319|19964738http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-neverending-quest-my-expedition/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Today I feel a little like Jake from The Blues Brothers, the Jake who, while on the defensive when confronted with his failings, comes up with a laundry list of excuses including earthquakes, flat tires, a lost tuxedo, a stolen car, floods and locusts: "It wasn't my fault, I swear to God!" Yup, Jake, I empathize.

After going through an excellent month of EverQuest on The Game Archaeologist here, I had every intention to marinate in old-fashioned EQ goodness for the very first time in my life. I set several evenings aside, put on my chainmail bikini and Viking hat, and told the computer to, I quote, "Bring it on."

Then the floods and locusts happened, in the form of a number of personal crises compounded by an unexpectedly difficult time just getting into the EverQuest Escape to Norrath unlimited trial. I don't know what's going on over at SOE, but the signup for this trial simply doesn't work. I followed the directions and downloaded the client, but the next screen (which contained the activation key) never appeared. It appears that I'm not alone dealing with this frustrating experience, but long story short, I eventually created a second account to just get the 14-day trial (instead of the unlimited one) to get in the game. By then I was down to just a mere two evenings of EverQuest trompings, which I knew would not be enough to satisfy the fans looking for an in-depth impressions of their favorite game.

So I have to throw myself on your mercy and tell you that I played it, but not nearly as much as I should've. That said, it definitely was an intriguing expedition from which I took away quite a few notes and during which I at least had the opportunity to get my feet wet. What is EverQuest like to an experienced MMO player who's coming to the game for the first time over a decade after it released? Hit the jump and let's see how far down this rabbit hole goes!